german shepherd question - Page 2

shredmaster · #16 08-25-2010, 10:13 AM

I read that shortly after you posted it. What a great informative post. I know there won't be any issues once I get one...probably female. I may have to wait a bit due to $$. Thanks for all your replies! 76Stratman...do you still have the dogs?
Steve

**jaxadam** · #17 08-25-2010, 12:09 PM

When I was a little kid growing up, we had three GSD's. Two males and one female.

We never had problems with them ourselves, but as someone mentioned earlier, they can be somewhat territorial when it comes to visitors. They can also be very aloof at times, which is somewhat contrary to their guarding reputation.

They can shed quite a bit, so I would definitely take that into consideration as well.

I have two dobermans now, and IMO they are pretty much the perfect dog for me. Very intelligent (more so than a GSD from my experience), they don't shed, and they have much more manageable protective instincts. I wouldn't hesitate to have my dogs around young children. As a matter of fact, they play with a lot of the kids in the neighborhood and all of the kids love our dogs (eventhough our dogs are bigger than some of these kids!).

shredmaster · #18 08-25-2010, 03:34 PM

jax, your doberman's don't shed? you must groom them a lot then. my uncle had one when i was a kid. i remember there being black hair EVERYWHERE. my aunt had to vacuum a few times a week to keep it somewhat decent. they are highly intelligent

rob777vdy · #19 08-25-2010, 03:45 PM

so did you buy a german shepherd mate ????.a few weeks have past since you started this thread i was just wondering ???.

**jaxadam** · #20 08-25-2010, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shredmaster

jax, your doberman's don't shed? you must groom them a lot then. my uncle had one when i was a kid. i remember there being black hair EVERYWHERE. my aunt had to vacuum a few times a week to keep it somewhat decent. they are highly intelligent

They don't shed much at all. We do brush them pretty often, and we don't bathe them very often because it's not really too good for them.

But yeah, no hairs anywhere really.

shredmaster · #21 08-25-2010, 11:33 PM

Rob, not yet man. I really want one and found a puppy I fell in love with, but I didn't do it. So much going on right now that I just don't have the time to comfortably devote to training. Maybe in the fall?

**jaxadam** · #22 08-26-2010, 12:03 AM

If you're a dog person, training dogs is not very difficult. Getting a high energy dog will take some effort, though, so I would plan to at least devote some time to walks, training, etc.

Another very important thing is to make sure that you go with a reputable breeder, not a BYB (Back Yard Breeder) or someone just trying to get rid of puppies. Don't go with a puppy mill (a breeder that produces many, many litters per year using the same dames) and realize that the price point you should be looking at right now is for pet quality, not show quality.

shredmaster · #23 08-26-2010, 01:12 AM

Jax, thanks. i want to do the shelter thing to give one of those guys a great home, but they make me feel miserable...i want to save them all. i also don't want an older dog because i want to be able to sculpt them. i would be afraid there is some deep-rooted hatred towards kids or people in general if the dog was treated poorly. other than that, it's hard to find a breeder. not sure what the price point is for pet vs show. i heard it can be hit or miss in getting the right GS...you never know what you will get in personality. then again, i guess that can be for all animals. i have 2 dogs now... cairn terriers / wizard of oz dogs. they are both outstanding. always had great luck with dogs. they are more human than canine and i think that's from all the affection they get around here. they favor me more than my wife. she loves them, but they know daddy more. they won't go to bed until i'm there. in fact, my male is down here in the studio with me as i type this, just waiting to go to bed. dogs are better than most people!

Robstar · #24 08-26-2010, 02:22 AM

If you get the right dog it could save your life.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaB6h...eature=related

shredmaster · #25 08-31-2010, 12:52 AM

that's an awesome video man! i have been looking into it more and more. i found 2 reputable breeders. they are more pricey but you get what you pay for.

shredmaster · #26 09-02-2010, 11:41 AM

i'm still looking around. i found a breeder for less money, on a farm, long story short, they have none available. i found one at a rescue that i really want but they said his hind legs are not working well and they don't know why. the vet told them it could have happened at birth. i feel bad not taking him for that reason but if he can't walk well...and he's 6 months...i just don't know

Pooluke41 · #27 09-02-2010, 02:13 PM

I wouldn't take the Dog... In one of our Litters we had a Puppy with bad legs... The Dog had Panostitus or Something like that...

shredmaster · #28 09-04-2010, 11:47 PM

alright you guys, i told the wife this morning i wanted to go visit a GSD breeder / trainer i found. she has no idea i have been looking around. she says it's a bad idea since we already have 2 dogs...blah blah blah. she actually went with me, along with our son Luke, who's 2. it is a very nice place, about an hour drive through farmland. the entrance was this long road ending at an automatic fence that opens as you pull up to it. deep inside the forest area there were a bunch of people standing around with their shepherds on these huge lawns...really a nice place. the puppies and adult shepherds were in cages / attached to houses outside. we finally found the lady i was dealing with over the phone and she brought all these dogs to play with out in the grass. before this, while we were waiting around, one of the older dogs in the long tall cage was very interested in us. i didn't want to pet him through the cage but was tempted. i told the lady about him...there was some connection...he kept following us. she said, oh that's Rex, he's a great guy, do you want to see him? YEAH! she brought him out and we just fell in love. we clicked. i really want this guy! he's 7 months old and house trained and obedience trained. he's more money than the puppies since he's "ready to go." i really want him but he's $4000. puppies are $1500 - $2000.

My cousin, who owns a high end petfood store in CA said one of his clients has 2 german-bred (imported from Germany) shepherds. they are very high end and cost $25,000 EACH! i never heard of such a thing!

here are a few pics from today.... i really wanted to walk out of there with REX. it was terrible pulling away with him watching us leave.

PumpkinPie · #29 09-10-2010, 07:37 PM

German Shepherds are excellent dogs, very good with children and extremely loyal, I've had two (still have one). They are probably my favourite breed of dog, I would say they are easy to train too in comparison to some breeds e.g. Spaniels, Dalmations, Boxers etc...

$4000 for a Shep? How are they so expensive over there?? Mine was around £400 (in the UK), full pedigree with papers etc:

http://i595.photobucket.com/albums/t...1/d1f7a59b.jpg

http://i595.photobucket.com/albums/t...1/PICT1163.jpg